1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of equipment racks, and more particularly to the field of cable management associated with such racks.
2. Description of the Related Art
Racks, frames, cabinets and the like (referred to generally herein as “racks”) support computer and other electronic equipment and doors and panels (referred to generally herein as “components”). The racks and the components are mutually sized to accommodate placement of the components within the racks. Racks can include vertical members generally spaced a selected standardized distance from one another and cross-members extending between the vertical members. Both the vertical members and the cross-members can have attachment points where the components are secured. These attachment points can include holes to receive bolts, which may be used along with nuts for securing the components.
The racks are typically positioned so that a side of the rack (referred to generally herein as the “backside”) is either against a wall of a room or against the backside of another rack. The side of a subject rack opposite its backside (referred to generally herein as the “front side”) can provide access to the components supported by the rack since the front side of the rack generally faces outward into a room away from a wall or away from another rack that is adjacent to the subject rack. The components can include patch panels and equipment face panels extending between the vertical members along the front side of the rack. These panels can have slots and other openings for mounting of patch blocks of connectors or other devices or to allow access of control portions of the components from the front side of the racks. The panels are generally securely fastened to the vertical members of the racks.
The components within the racks are typically connected to other components either in the same rack or another rack or are connected to other devices not in a rack for such purposes as control, communication, and power. These connections are made by cables, cords, or other sorts of wires (referred to generally wherein as “cables”), which are generally available in standard lengths. For some applications, many standard lengths of cable may be available, however, a few selected lengths may actually be used in the field so that, for instance, the cables can be purchased in mass quantities. For other applications, selection of cable length may be limited. Consequently, cables may be used at times which are longer than needed and the excess cable length can clutter and interfere with operation and maintenance of the components, racks, and other devices in the vicinity of the racks.